Mel Young helped give life to eight children.
Now one of his daughter's has returned the favor.
The 75-year-old Atlantic City native was diagnosed with kidney failure in 2017. Last year, things progressed to where he was on dialysis.
Then the search for a donor began.
Young's children started to get tested. But once Kamesha Young showed to be a matched, she told her siblings to end the search.
"Our hero does not wear a cape nor mask but shares the same mother and father and similar features with a heart big enough to cover the world," Kamelah Young wrote of her sister in a GoFundMe.
Kamesha, the fourth oldest of the Young children, never gave it a second thought before completing the steps to give a piece of herself to her father.
"We're so grateful," Kamelah said, adding they now "see life through a different lens."
The operation was done May 31 at St. Barnabas Medical Center in Livingston, Essex County.
Both are now home recovering.
The two live about 15 minutes from each other in Egg Harbor Township, with Kamelah and her six siblings splitting up the caretaker duties to help in their healing.
"It's the greatest gift that anyone can ever give me in life," Mel Young said of his daughter. "It's a testament to love."
"I'm glad that my dad has a chance for a better and longer quality of life," Kamesha said. "I am grateful to assist with helping in any way possible.
"He has always given 100 percent to his children," the mother of four said of her dad. That was "part of the reason it made it so easy to give back to him without hesitation."
The healing process is slow and steady, she said.
"Each day the pain seems to get a bit easier," Kamesha said. "Having the support of loved ones I find crucial to this part of the recovery also. So thanks to everyone for that."
"She didn't realize that she not only saved the life of our father, she saved all of our lives," Kamelah wrote on the GoFundMe. "Some things are priceless and we could never repay with any financial amount."
But the family is hoping the community will help in supporting their sister.
She will need to be out of work and also could have bouts with depression as a symptom of the process, the doctor warned.
Kamesha's lifesaving will not stop here, her sister says.
Kamelah got her bachelor's degree from Stockton University last year and is now working toward her masters in mental health.
She and Kamesha — who is in the medical field — plan to open their own business to help elders live productive lives.
"We just want to pay it forward and help our elders out the best way possible," said Kamelah, a mother of six. "I'm truly blessed to call (Kamesha) my sister. She’s very bold and courageous."
